Crimson to Meet Dartmouth Sextet In Crucial Game

Dartmouth Winter Carnival is hell. At least it's a hell of a time to play an important hockey game at Hanover, which ordinarily presents a traumatic experience to any visiting team. What compounds the difficulty is that for the past two seasons the Indians have not been beaten by anyone, at home or on the road, in 13 games.

The Crimson must end that streak Saturday to retain any hope of winning the Ivy title, and the accompanying invitation to the NCAA Eastern playoffs in March. In fact, unless the sextet sweeps both ends of the home-and-home weekend series which concludes at Watson Rink Feb. 13, it will need help from another team to merely tie the Big Green. Such is the plight of Harvard hockey.

The Dartmouth Athletic Department has advised Harvard fans who have no tickets to the hockey game Saturday to save a trip to Hanover. The game is already a sellout.

But while the odds may seem long, the varsity has shown that it is ready to play John-the-Indian-killer, even at the Hanover horror show. Dartmouth has lost only to B.C. in an evenly matched 4-3 game in Boston, but the Big Green flubbed Saturday night, tying inconsistent Army, 2 to 2.

The Crimson, however, has put together its most evenly balanced team in years, one that is beginning to produce goals with regularity, while playing a cautious defensive game. The consistency of the lines is truly amazing--the first line, with 18 goals, has only three more than the second line, and four more than the third, while defensemen have scored 15 times.

The only Dartmouth unit that can really skate with the varsity is the veteran first line of Mike Hollern, Jake Haertl and Bob Moore. When the Indian's second trio of Bob Harvey, Warren Loomis and Charles Ritchie and third line of Derek Buntain, Phil Roy, and James Richards venture out, the Crimson should be able to apply the pressure.

But getting the puck to the offensive zone against Dartmouth is less than half the battle, for the Big Green has the finest defense pair in the Ivy League in Rusty Ingersoll and Ryan Ostebo. Goalie Tom Wahman may be not only the best in the East, but is such a talented hockey player that he was used last season as a first-line forward. Without plump Dirk Frankenberg to mind the nets this year, coach Eddie Jeremiah has moved the junior back to goal.

On paper, Harvard is the better team. If it can keep from getting rattled, the Crimson can win decisively. But Dartmouth hecklers put the local leatherlungs to shame. Captain Mike Graney can remember getting slugged on his way back to the dressing room after the 1958 game, but playing was even tougher.

Winter Carnival marks the Hanover equivalent of Groundhog Day, and the local inhabitants come out of hibernation, wash, and take their hockey sticks to the game, to watch, yell, and pound on the boards. The din is terrific, and often the referees start making calls in favor of the home team.

One of the more favorable breaks for the varsity is the return to eligibility of Chris Norris, who starred as a freshman last season. Unfortunately, though, official grades may not come through in time for him to play. The lines will remain the same, and Bob Bland will be out to keep his undefeated record as goalie